Buxton drink driver stole car to buy more booze

A drunk partygoer stole his friend’s car in Buxton to go pick up more booze, a court heard.
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Lewis Morley admitted drink driving, taking a vehicle without consent and driving without insurance at High Peak Magistrates Court on Monday.

The 20-year-old was stopped by police at about 2am on May 3 on High Street for driving without his headlights on.

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Officers asked if the defendant, of High Street, Eckington, knew why he had been pulled over and he replied he had “no idea”.

He also denied he had been drinking, told police the Hyundai Coupe was his vehicle and that his name was Kyle Holmes.

Morley was breathalysed at the scene and arrested.

When tested, he had 64 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, almost two times the limit.

At the police station, he was found to have 57 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.

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Prosecutor John Cooper said the defendant had drunk six cans of Carlsberg, five shots of tequila and a shot of Jack Daniels at a friend’s house in Buxton.

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At about 1.30am, he decided to drive to Tesco, on London Road, to buy more drinks for the party and took his friend’s car keys from the kitchen.

Kyle Holmes, the owner of the Hyundai, confirmed he had not given Morley permission to drive his car nor was he aware he had taken it.

The court heard the incident had cost the defendant his job and that he was now in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance. He had no previous convictions.

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When asked what he had to say about the offence, Morley, who was not represented, replied: “Nothing.”

Addressing him, chairman of the bench Neil Broadbent said: “You’ve certainly chosen a spectacular way of offending for the first time in your life.”

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He was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work and banned from driving for 12 months.

His licence was also endorsed with eight points and he was ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

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